[mamaip]

What do you wish someone had told you before you had your baby???
For example, I wish someone had told me about Postpartum healing!

[altland]

I wish someone had told me to really push for what you believe when it comes to nurses and doctors.
With my first child, I knew giving her a bottle being a few hours old was going to mess up her breastfeeding habits. I was too tired to argue with the nurse, and in the end it did. She would never take her formula from me. I had to pump for 9 months.
With my second child, he was a month early. The doctor refused to give me the steroids during labor that would help him breathe better. They were more worried about not having test results back. I should have insisted, because his lungs were premature when he was born. He spent 2 weeks in the Neonatal ICU learning how to breathe.

Trust your body and your instincts. You can feel whats going on. They can't.

[writerchick]

Oh, man, I don't even know where to start. About six months into new parenthood, I asked my Mom, "How come you didn't tell me this was going to be so hard?" She said, "Because I wanted grandchildren!"

If I had to pick one thing, though, I wish someone would have told me how fast they grow up. I thought each stage would last forever, and now my first is 16! I would have savored every stage more. I remember trying to hurry my first along, to take her first step, etc...and I found with my son and I was more inclined to think, "Oh please don't walk yet!" Come to think of it, I'm sure lots of people told me that they grow up fast, but I probably just didn't believe them.

[mamaip]

Those were both so good...and true. Yes, I think mothers need to trust their instincts. When my son was 1 1/2 he fell at my sister's house. Later that day he started jerking his head to the right. Everyone told me it was my imagination and that he was fine. I luckily followed my instincts and what resulted was two hospital stays, possible epilepsy or tourettes, and several more "tics" to follow.Thank goodness they turned out to be transient tics that go away but still...I knew something was not right and I acted. Instinct matters. Mothers DO know.
And about wishing that someone had told you it goes so fast, I agree. People probably told me too, but until it happens you don't understand the magnitude of it....I wish I could do so many moments again, experience it one more time.....

[pattiewrites]

I also agree that trusting your instincts is important. I wish someone had told me to ignore the advice that just felt wrong. In the end, I did ignore people who told me not to hold the baby too much or that I "had" to let her cry in her crib. As a new mom, I listened somewhat to this advice because it was coming from experienced moms. It just felt wrong, so I started to ignore it and seek out other sources of information. Now, the advice I give new moms is to ignore advice and follow your heart with your child.

[hennypenny]

I wish someone had told me that I would get painful uterus contractions during breastfeeding. I was reading a breastfeeding book just the other day, and it said 'breastfeeding never hurts, and if it does, you're not doing it properly'. I threw the book across the room and yelled, 'stop lying!!!'

[mamaip]

hahaha, you made me laugh.
Sooooooo true.

[MJ7]

I wish someone told me that when my son took cereal in his bottle, that didn't mean soggy Fruit Loops in milk. Did I do this? No way, I thought it was odd that the fostermom used cereal in my new 13 mo. old's bottle . Aww yes, when I got my younger son years later, I learned it was baby rice cereal in formula!

MJ

[writerchick]

Originally Posted by hennypenny

I wish someone had told me that I would get painful uterus contractions during breastfeeding. I was reading a breastfeeding book just the other day, and it said 'breastfeeding never hurts, and if it does, you're not doing it properly'. I threw the book across the room and yelled, 'stop lying!!!'

Breastfeeding never hurts? What a joke. My chest hurt like none other for weeks. I had to keep from screaming every time the baby latched on.

[pattiewrites]

Originally Posted by writerchick

Breastfeeding never hurts? What a joke. My chest hurt like none other for weeks. I had to keep from screaming every time the baby latched on.

Technically, it isn't supposed to hurt after the first minute or two. I was always sore for about the first minute and then it was fine. Most experts say if it hurts the whole time, the baby isn't latched on properly. I found that hard to get the hang of with my first baby. With my first, I was sore in the hospital. The lactation consultant showed me other positioning (the football hold) and that helped her latch on better and the pain stopped.